PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A Butler County man will face charges after six horses were rescued from his home.

The owner of Equine Angels Rescue in Butler County says the horses are in a good place now, but they weren’t as recent as Thursday.

“There were six emaciated horses in awful condition. No water, no hay out for them, three feet of mud, no shelter,” said Pam Vivirito, of Equine Angels Rescue. “All have severe rain rot on their backs; all in need of vet care that they are receiving.”

Vivirito says the horses were found on a farm in Chicora. The farm is owned by Brian Arendosh.

“We had lots of calls from neighbors, drive-bys, people that saw them,” said Vivirito. “They thought that maybe [there was] just one or two; there were six that were emaciated at the time.”

Arendosh would not do an on-camera interview, but told KDKA’s Brenda Waters via phone that the horses are not his. He says they belonged to elderly neighbors who are now in a nursing home.

He told KDKA when the horses ventured over to his property; he did the best he could to feed them, and has done so since last September. He emailed KDKA a picture of some of the food he purchased.

But Vivirito says that just can’t be true.

“These horses have lost so much weight, it’s going to take a year to bring back the weight on them,” she said.

The horses that were rescued are 200 to 400 pounds under weight and there are three more than need to be rescued.

Arendosh says those three horses belong to him.

“We feel that they will go downhill as these did, and we want to help them out, too,” Vivirito added. “There is a cruelty to animals law that needs to be enforced.”

State Police in Butler are involved in the case and say charges are pending against Arendosh.